As Things Currently Were
by angelwolf123
Summary: "It's a genjutsu, it's a genjutsu, it's a GENJUTSU!" Sasuke's eyes were squeezed shut, and only now did he dare open them to peer at the... thing... that had just appeared before him. But the monstrosity was still there, staring down at him with her wide blue eyes. It definitely wasn't a genjutsu. But then why was this 12 year old Naruto a girl?
1. Someone's Idea of a Joke

"**It's a genjutsu, it's a genjutsu, it's a GENJUTSU!" Sasuke's eyes were squeezed shut, and only now did he dare open them to peer at the... thing... that had just appeared before him. But the monstrosity was still there, staring down at him with her wide blue eyes. Crap. It definitely wasn't a genjutsu.**

* * *

It had all started normally, with a normal mission, heading to a relatively normal place. Sure, the Temple of Forgotten Destiny, with all of it's potentially fatal traps and crumpling structures, might not be what your average citizen would call normal, but Sasuke digressed. He was a ninja, for crying out loud, and had certain rights to go sneaking into places that weren't originally intended to be snuck into.

But by the time he had reached the central chamber, Sasuke was feeling less like a ninja and more like a certain adventurer who was named after one of the United States. The poison dart traps he could deal with, but a freaking boulder? Really? Though it was true that he didn't have to outrun it, and simply had to blast the rolling stone with the infamous Amaterasu to avoid it. Sure, using the Mangekyo was extremely tiring, but if that was the price to avoid becoming temple roadkill, then so be it. Besides, even if he was tired Sasuke had made it to the central chamber relatively unharmed, and that was that.

Now, Sasuke's whole reason for risking life and limb at the hands of long-deceased natives was because his mentor, Madara, had wanted a certain artifact from the Temple. You see, the ruins were built by a civilization that was said to have abilities disturbingly similar to the Uchiha Sharingan. The source of these people's power lied in the 'Eye of the Beholder', and it was with the Eye that the civilization thrived. It's decline, on the other hand, was directly linked to the Eye as well. Madara knew this, but figured that, if it could increase the power of the Sharingan, it was worth a shot.

So now the cream colored, perfectly circular stone sat before him on a suspiciously Asian altar. The Eye was small, but it was eye-sized so that was probably okay. Sasuke was well aware of the risks of taking treasures that looked ripe for the taking, but he was irritable that day and impatient to get this whole ordeal over with. Making no sudden movements, Sasuke carefully held the Eye's smooth surface between his thumb and forefinger, stepping swiftly away from the altar in case something large came swinging in to crush him out of nowhere.

He waited, but nothing happened. The longer the silence stretched on, the more worried the young Uchiha grew. He frowned, and eyed the plain looking prize. Was it a dud? Sasuke didn't want to relive the humiliation of bringing back the wrong thing, like he did with the eight-tails. But how would he know if this artifact was the real thing?

As if in response to his thoughts, the tan 'skin' of the Eye split open, revealing a pocket of blood red chakra whirling within. But Sasuke's cold look remained the same. The Eye would be terribly creepy to others, but to him it was simply a fortunate happening. In truth, the young Uchiha had seen worse things within himself.

And while all of Sasuke's musings were going on, the Eye of the Beholder had sensed it's captor's coming. The artifact had done everything it could to get rid of the intruder, but it was no use. It would now have to use it's own personal methods, and draw out the darkness within the thief's heart...

The moment it activated it's Seeing ability to do so, the Eye froze from what it discovered. In this young boy, was a horrible, horrible, dark chakra. The Eye's favored defense mechanism (besides the Indiana Jones boulder) was sending would-be treasure hunters into their negative selves, catapulting them into a living hell, either a warped version of their current reality or reliving past tortures. To the Eye's complete horror, this particular thief was already in that living hell, all by himself. Everyday, this person had fought a loosing battle with the monsters of his childhood, and had recently succumbed to their influence. Now it was simply a question of how far he would sink into his own inner darkness before choking and drowning. The Eye knew that this boy would die, unmourned by any...

But wait. The Eye noticed something within the tortured depths of Sasuke's soul. It wasn't a light, for sure, but it was something else, something more important. A possible way for him to escape the hole he had dug, in the form of a relationship he had with a person. Shock rang through the Eye's very existence. How strange! Normally, when humans had sunk to this level, all bonds with others had to have been cut in the process. But for some reason, this mortal was different, for there was still someone who cared for him despite everything this mortal had done.

While the Eye couldn't care less about his current opponent, this would be thief, the Eye's figurative heart broke for the individual who was strong enough to continue believing in him, even though that belief was both unappreciated and only self-harming. And with that, it made up it's mind.

The artifact narrowed its eyelids, directing a glare at the dark soul of the person before him. _I will help you_, the Eye thought to itself._ Not for your sake, but for the sake of the crazy person who, for some reason, still cares about you._

Now the Eye knew, that as things currently were, there was little chance of fulfilling its goal. It needed to call upon a different sort of power, one that hadn't been used sense it was teaching the kings of old oh so long ago. This power was a stronger, reversed version of what the Eye had used on past thieves. For instead of sending the young man before it into a hell within himself, the Eye planned to send Sasuke into a more positive place, outside himself. A potential reality that never came to be, an _alternate universe_, if you will. Of course, it was up to the people in this realm, Sasuke, and the person who cared for him if Sasuke was to be freed of his bleak future or not, but the Eye was going to place the young man into the reality that had the most potential to do so.

Sasuke looked at his find with a sudden alarm. The red light that the stone had been emitting was growing brighter, spreading in a way that light should not. The glow was spilling from the Eye like tears of blood, dripping and completely covering Sasuke so swiftly he did not have any time to react. So within an instant, the Uchiha vanished, the orb he was holding still floating in midair.

The Eye drifted smugly back to its altar, giving its handywork a once-over before falling back into dormancy. When the artifact thought about it, the alternate reality was quite similar to one that Sasuke had already lived through, with only a few changes here and there. In fact there was only one critical difference between the ex-thief's memories of the past, and the one he would soon be experiencing. The Eye chuckled to itself wickedly. The misfortune of the whole situation made it almost want to observe the whole thing happening, but, well, it had better things to do. Such as sleeping.

* * *

Naruto raced swiftly through the throngs of random citizens, running with the complete abandon that only idiots and people who are chased can possess.

In her case, she was both. She snickered wickedly as she ducked behind a corner into a trash-filled alley. He would never find-

Suddenly the twelve year old was yanked up by her short blonde hair. "OW OW OW OW OWWWW! LEMME GO!" Swearing like sailor, she aimed a kick at wear she her opponent's pig parts were.

"Nice try Naruto." Came the bored response from somewhere above her. "You missed training. Again. I thought you wanted to be a ninja?"

"I do Kakashi-sensei, but take HIM off of the team! Do you wanna know what he did today!?"

Kakashi dropped his student, causing her to land with a painful-sounding thump. God, how he hated his new team. Sure, they had somehow passed the test, but teamwork was impossible! He stared down at the boyish girl before him. Naruto was the root of the problem, but she wasn't the one to blame. Or at least that's what he constantly reminded the Hokage, who seemed to be needing more and more of it these days. The jounin sighed, and started walking away, making sure Naruto was following him.

"I don't know what to tell you Naruto. I know you don't get along with your teammates, but still-"

"DON'T GET ALONG!? They HATE me! They're always calling me names, and throwing stuff at me, and tricking me whenever they can!"

"Naruto, calm down. I know they pushed you into the male side of the senior citizen hotsprings, but I'll talk to them. Don't-"

"Worry? You say you'll talk to them, but you never really do! You're too wrapped up in your book, moping because you don't have any teachable students! Well you know what, sensei? Your problems are over, cause I friggin' QUIT!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and caught her before she could stomp off. "That's not what I think, Naruto. Now, go back home." Naruto stared up at him with her eyes full of some unreadable emotion, but then she nodded, her anger leaving her like a deflating balloon.

"Okay sensei."

As she walked glumly back to her apartment, Naruto felt the weight of her humiliation press down even harder than usual. She had only wanted to be Sakura's friend, ever since they had met at the Academy. But it seemed like the harder she tried, the more the pink-haired girl scoffed and was mean to her. But it was Naruto's other teammate that caused the worst problems. Yes, she could truly say that she hated that son-of-a-bitch.

The short, wiry girl unlocked her door, and proceeded to drag herself into her messy room. So lost was she in her depression, Naruto promptly tripped over one of the many items scattered over her floor. The ninja fell, and lacked the willpower to even get up again. The thing that had made her trip was digging uncomfortably into her legs, but that did nothing to motivate her. The young girl had been bullied all her life, and it seemed like nothing could help her out of this pitfall. Heck, she might even start crying.

That was when the object digging into her legs began to move.

Naruto jumped about three feet in the air, shrieking with fright. She stared in utter horror as the thing- no, _person_-on her floor stirred groggily.

Was locking an unconscious MALE stranger in her room someone's idea of a joke!?

* * *

**No, I don't own Naruto. Sorry to dissapoint.**


	2. First Naruto, Now Sakura?

**Oh Sasuke, I hope people are laughing at your misfortune. Because I certainly am!**

* * *

Naruto staggered backwards as the young man before her rose up to his full height, which, to her four feet eight inches, was a whole foot of difference. She swallowed, her head having to _tilt up_ to follow his face. Okay, so the size advantage was out. Naruto looked around desperately for some kind of weapon as she watched the intruder gather his senses. She was pressed against the wall now, simply wanting to get away. As his dark eyes fixed on her, Naruto shrank into the corner...

Sasuke had not known what to expect when he finally came to. A fight for sure, or perhaps a genjutsu. As he gathered his bearings and cautiously stood up, taking in his surroundings. Surprisingly, he was in a room that was vaguely familiar, but didn't ring any bells. So it was gentjutsu then. Easy. In a flash, Sasuke's black orbs turned blood red, activating his Sharingan and thereby destroying the jutsu.

Nothing happened.

Sasuke frowned slightly. Perhaps he had actually been transported somewhere. He looked around. The place didn't seem like the kind place he'd be taken to, if knocked unconscious. No matter. Nowadays, there was little that could restrain him. It was then that a movement out of the corner of his eye instantly had him on guard. There was another person in the room. Was it the anticipated fight...?

Sasuke froze, his eyes locking on this new person. A little boy, harmless, or at least he should be. But it wasn't any little boy. Sasuke's penetrating stare narrowed, raking over the boy's unruly short blonde hair and wide blue fearful eyes. So he was in a genjutsu after all; the person in front of him was Naruto when he was twelve years old.

Sasuke took a step forward, and the boy huddled in the corner gave an uncharacteristic squeak. Odd. If the person who had put the genjutsu on Sasuke was skilled enough to beat the Sharingan, you'd think impersonating Naruto was easy. Maybe they were vying for his pity? But in any case, it was best to act natural, so as to throw the genjutsu user off.

"Naruto."

Upon hearing her name, Naruto's eyes widened. Obviously this wasn't just a random person off the street, he was some kind of stalker! Her search for a weapon increased, and she mentally cursed herself for 'forgetting' her kunai at the training spot as a form of rebellion. Naruto slowly began groping for a nearby lamp, her fear interrupting the flow of her words.

"H-how do you know my name!?"

The Uchiha paused midstep. Not know Naruto's name? Annoyance flooded through his thoughts. He had known the loser's name sense the day they had met! The fool was too pathetic to forget!

"How could I NOT know you're name, you little-"

As the dark-haired stranger spoke, Naruto blinked. Without realizing it, this was the first time he had spoken or acted with any sort of feeling. She was suddenly much less scared.

Suddenly, the door flew open, capturing the attention of both Naruto and her 'stalker'.

"NARUTOOOO!" A pink haired girl, twelve year old Sakura, stormed in, waving around a T-shirt with a large grass stain on it. "I told you to clean this yesterday!"

Now Sasuke was thoroughly confused. He knew that Naruto liked Sakura, but sense when did he do chores for her? Sasuke eyed the messy room with distaste. He couldn't do his _own_ chores, period. But it was Naruto's reaction to Sakura that really threw the Uchiha off.

"Oh! Uhm, so sorry Sakura!" Naruto, momentarily forgetting the situation, bustled over to her teammate, accepting the soiled shirt. "You better be." Sakura replied grumpily, she had wanted to wear that shirt to try to impress-

Sakura finally noticed the young man standing in the midst of all of the clutter. Her green eyes widened. So handsome! Sakura coughed, and fake-smiled at Naruto. "So, Naruto, who _is_ this?"

Sasuke nearly fell over. First Naruto, now Sakura? He almost scowled as he watched kid-Naruto struggle to come up with a response. It wasn't that hard to say 'Sasuke', was it?

Naruto sweatdropped. "I, uh, I don't know."

Sasuke stared blankly ahead, his mind in utter shock. Not know him? _Not know him!? _They had been on the same team for an entire year! They had been rivals for years! And Naruto didn't know him! Sasuke felt like laughing at the creator of the genjutsu. As if that would ever happen.

"Well, it's been fun", the Uchiha drawled sarcastically. "But I really must be leaving."

And with that, Sasuke activated the Mangekyo Sharingan, and dissolved the genjutsu.

Or at least he tried to.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sakura and Naruto were staring at him, waiting for him to go like he said. Sasuke, in shock and not having yet excepted the reality of the situation, slowly walked outside and down the steps leading away from the apartment. He could hear the door shut behind him, and the two twelve year olds starting to bicker.

"Well, if you don't know him, why was he here!?"

"I TOLD YOU I DON'T KNOW!"

Eventually, though, the voices faded away, leaving Sasuke alone with his silent thoughts. What if... what if he had been transported back in time? After all, he didn't know what the Eye was capable of. Yes, that had to be it! But once Sasuke started to think again, the 'answers' came in a rush. It had to be some alternate version of the past, or his teammates would have recognized him, even if he was older. Okay. So a past where he had never existed, how would things have changed?

Sasuke was walking through what seemed to be a marketplace, and was so engrossed in his theories he accidentally bumped into someone.

It was a relatively old shinobi. "Hey, watch where you're going-" The man froze. "A- are you a _Uchiha_, by any chance?"

Sasuke replied promptly. He had never been one to deny his noble heritage. "Yes."

The shinobi backed away, stumbling, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Finally, he turned tail and ran, knocking over shop wears and people alike.

While Sasuke was tempted to kill the man for his impudence, he had more important things to worry about.

A few hours later Sasuke found himself in the Hokage's office, escorted by none less than four squads of Anbu. He knew he should've killed the man while he had the chance.

* * *

**Thanks to the anonymous reviewer! I love you!**

**Oh, and I'm sorry this one is a bit short and boring , but whatever. The story's going to REALLY start in the next chapter, and if anyone's interested they should 'follow' it, because if enough people do chapter 3's gonna be out by the end of the day.**


	3. The Potential Rapist

**See where mercy gets you, Sasuke?**

* * *

The Hokage rose slowly, drawing the attention of the people around him like a diver sucking in one last breath. The old man placed his age-spotted hands on the gleaming wood table before him, locking his piercing gaze on Sasuke.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, was fighting the urge to look away. He had held some amount of respect for the old man back in the day, and well, now that the old man was alive and _staring_, the youth wasn't quite sure what to do about it.

The Anbu, who had been previously surrounding Sasuke, were dismissed with a nod on the part of the Hokage.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Though it was only a statement, the power in the Hokage's voice turned it into a command. You _are_ Sasuke Uchiha. No 'if's, 'and's, or 'but's.

Sasuke didn't blink, meeting the Hokage's stare with equal intensity.

The moment slowly charged, the two powerful ninja evaluating one another... until the Hokage smiled, visibly relaxing. He slowly opened a book in front of him and began to flip through casually.

"I have been informed of your... special... circumstances for coming here." As he spoke, the Hokage gestured vaguely towards his left, and Sasuke wondered what the heck he was supposed to be looking at, until he noticed that the orb the old man always he with him was now a familiar tan-color.

So the Eye had contacted him.

But the Hokage continued, not even looking up. "Sasuke Uchiha; a missing nin from this village. You are sixteen years old, a Uchiha, and-" the old man paused, and finally looked up to meet Sasuke's gaze. "You don't exist in this world. Uchiha is a name rarely used. Itachi killed his clan, then himself."

Sasuke stiffened.

The Hokage set his gaze back on the book before him. "You are extremely powerful, but you seek to use that power to destroy the Konoha. I cannot allow that." The smiled returned. "Thankfully, the Eye of the Beholder has sealed your powers until further notice. You can no longer use any of your more powerful techniques, but there are exceptions to this rule."

Done reading, the Hokage shut the book.

"I know why you are here, even if you do not. Your power is like a black hole, eating everything up, and when nothing is left to sustain you, you will die."

The Hokage looked away.

"I've been told you left this village soon after my death, so I somewhat blame myself for what you have become. That is the reason I'm letting you live, Sasuke, to repay my debt. Never forget that."

The old man sat down, and gave Sasuke another look over.

"**Now, to get down to business."**

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki was running again. Except, you know, this time was for her life. Her breath came in pants now, and she was quickly tiring. _I've GOT to lay off the ramen..._

"**There is a way for you to return to your original universe and timeline, Sasuke."**

A kunai whizzed passed her ear, burying with a _thunk!_ into the tree she had passed literally seconds ago. Naruto would've screamed if she had the breath to do so.

"**You will not harm anyone in any significant way."**

When she had to avoid a kunai to the face by leaping backwards, Naruto finally snapped. She was done with this.

"**You will not tell anyone who you truly are, especially that you are of Uchiha. Some may remember their past with you if you aren't careful."**

Naruto dived behind a particularly large and safe-looking tree. "Ranmaru, I'm done playing your games!"

"**But your main job will be..."**

A boy stepped out from his hiding place many yards away. He fingered the brown braid that hung sideways down his left shoulder. "Aw c'mon Naruto! Be a sport!"

"**... protecting Naruto Uzumaki."**

"I HATE YOU!" Naruto screamed back towards his general direction, the strength of her cry burning her vocal cords.

"**And if I say no?"**

Ranmaru laughed.

"**Then you die. But besides that, the moment Naruto trusts you completely is the moment you will return home."**

Sasuke smirked. Naruto was the kind of idiot who trusted people blindly, no matter how dangerous they were. This would be easy.

Suddenly there was a lancing pain directed towards the right side of his chest. "Wha... what is this!?"

The Hokage grinned. "Seems like Naruto's in serious danger. Go get 'em, tiger."

Sasuke shot one final glare the old man's way before seemingly vanishing.

Naruto cried in protest as the brown haired boy grabbed her by the ear and dragged her out of the training ground.

"Kakashi sensei! Naruto isn't training like she's supposed to!" Ranmaru complained loudly, pinching Naruto even harder whenever she tried to get away from him.

"Now, now, Naruto. You're supposed to be practicing _dodging_, not hiding."

"HE WAS TRYING TO KILL ME!"

Ranmaru grinned wickedly. "Of course I was."

Kakashi looked up from his pervy book sharply. "Ranmaru..."

The tall boy shrugged. "What can I say, the brat won't get better unless she trains for real!"

"LET ME GO, YOU-"

Ranmaru slapped a hand over the orange-jumpsuit wearing kunoichi's mouth.

"Language, Naruto, language!" And with that, he dragged Naruto off in the name of 'walking her home'.

Kakashi wondered what he had done in a past life to get such both the idiot and the sadist on his team.

It was somewhere in a deserted alley that Naruto was finally able to yank herself free of her captor's merciless grip.

"Get away from me!"

Ranmaru stalked up to her, laying one hand on the wall, close to her head.

"Or what? You know you aren't strong enough to stop me..." He leaned in, inhaling her fear. Naruto was pressing herself against the wall in an attempt to get away from him, but that only turned him on.

Meanwhile, Naruto was staring up in absolute horror at the potential rapist in front of her. Ranmaru was one of those ninja who had trained elsewhere, and came to join a team when the only thing they had left to learn was teamwork. He was sixteen years old, and even though they had been comrades for a few weeks now she hadn't learned anything about what he was capable of, but she was pretty sure he was way too much for her to handle...

"Naruto, I'm shocked. I never knew you were into this kind of thing."

Both Naruto and her captor turned to look at the speaker.

* * *

**HAHAHA! Sasuke still thinks Naruto is a boy, everyone! xD**

**Oh, and Ranmaru is the filler teammate in the place of Sasuke. In case anyone was wondering, he was the one Naruto has repeatedly insulted, and claimed to hate. He's also the one Sakura was wanting to impress.**


	4. Crumbling-Tower-Of-Splintery-Death

**Naruto, why do you always have to get into such trouble? xD**

* * *

Sasuke had thought it was going to be easy. He had thought, _oh hey, Naruto's a loser, so of course he'll trust me. _Mm-hmm. Like that would ever happen.

Sure, he had been slightly surprised to see his old teammate being assaulted by a guy around his own age, but still. Naruto attracted misfortune, so it was bound to happen. And if you thought about it, twelve year old boys being sexually attacked were pretty common.

But yeah, it was gross. Like, REALLY gross.

Even when you hate everyone and everything around you, if you get grossed out enough you'd want to help someone too, even if it's just to spare yourself the sight.

The brown haired rapist with the braid gave Sasuke a once-over and smirked. "You know Naruto?"

"What do you think?" The other boy was starting to piss Sasuke off.

"I don't know actually. Haven't kept track of my thoughts in a while."

Sasuke just stared impassively.

Naruto had thought she was strong. She had thought, _oh hey, I'm a twelve year old with no sex appeal, so I'll be safe from all the perverts. _Well she had been wrong. So horribly wrong, because she was now face to face with both a potential rapist and a potential stalker.

As the two guys had their little exchange, Naruto was thinking hard. She had to get out from under Ranmaru no matter what, and that was her first priority. Moving faster than she had thought possible, Naruto rolled away from her attacker, throwing herself into a large stack of boxes thinking that if she knocked them over, they would be distracted, and she would be able to escape safely. It was a desperate move, yes, but it was the only thing she could think of.

Her shoulder hit the pavement painfully, and her whole body was pummeled as she sped towards the stack of cardboard, it was coming closer, she was going to hit it...

And she did, but with an unexpected crunch. Turned out the boxes weren't cardboard after all, just really fragile wood. Naruto, going as fast as she was, had broken through the box.

For a second, Sasuke and Ranmaru didn't know what happened. Then the large (when I say large, I mean almost to the first story of the establishment it leaned against) tower of boxes began to sway, like it wasn't quite sure if it wanted to crush the people nearby or just sway some more.

The box tower must've gotten board (no pun intended), because down, down, it went, like an unstoppable avalanche of splinters, for the boxes were breaking apart as they fell.

Sasuke and Ranmaru stared like deer in headlights.

Meanwhile, while Naruto was trapped inside of her scratchy prison, she was suddenly aware that if the box tower actually fell on someone (like the two she was hiding from) there was a really high chance that they would be seriously injured, because wood packs a harder punch than cardboard. As much as she hated Ranmaru, she felt that the dark-haired boy deserved the benefit of the doubt.

"**MULTI- SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"**

Within seconds, the entire crumbling structure was engulfed in a white smoke. Sasuke was relatively sure what was going to happen, so he didn't move, but Ranmaru ran for it.

Sasuke looked over sharply where Ranmaru had been standing. The child molester had left quickly... a bit too quickly. Sasuke hadn't even realized he had left until he actually checked. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. Braid-boy might actually amount to something.

When Sasuke turned back to face the crumbling-tower-of-splintery-death, he was faced with a sight that was rather hard on the eyes.

There were TONS of Naruto's. TONS. They had formed a human pyramid, and had somehow managed to stop the oncoming avalanche. All of the Naruto's were groaning with the weight they were forced to hold up, and they were all covered in scratch marks.

One at the bottom, whom Sasuke suspected was the real one, called out to him.

"Hurry! RUN! I'll keep this up, just GO!"

Yeah. Like Sasuke cared what the pipsqueak had to say. The Uchiha slowly made his way over to the real Naruto, ignoring the glares and cries of protest from the mob. When he finally stood before the orange ninja, Sasuke stared impassively at Naruto's efforts to save him.

Sasuke was reminded just how much he hated Naruto. It would be easy to just kill him right now. In fact, it would be easy to kill everyone in the village. They were the ones to blame for his older brother's pain, after all. Sasuke was reaching for his sword when he caught himself.

No. If he killed these people, he would never really complete his mission, in his own world. He just needed to get this Naruto to trust him, then he could go back to what was really important.

Reluctantly, Sasuke hooked an arm around the squirming twelve year old, and, well, ran for it.

* * *

When Sasuke finally dropped Naruto, they were a quite a ways away from the disaster-zone. He glared down at the twelve year old who was, for some reason, still sitting on the ground. When the ninja finally moved, it was to aim an unexpected swipe at Sasuke, which was easily dodged.

"Are you RETARDED!?" Naruto screamed, attempting to punch Sasuke. But before the Uchiha cold come up with a witty comeback, the Naruto he had rescued vanished with a puff of white smoke.

Sasuke stared at the empty space before him, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

It looked like he had brought back the wrong thing again, after all.

* * *

Meanwhile, the real Naruto had somehow extracted herself from the mound of shattered boxes, so full of splinters she resembled some kind of orange porcupine. Okay, so now there was two people she really really hated now. As smart as that dark-haired stalker looked, he sure was some kind of stupid!

Naruto noticed that the loud crashing noises the splinter-tower had made attracted a sizeable crowd. She attempted to slink away unnoticed, but was cut short by an angry voice behind her.

"Narutoooooo...!" The said person froze, slowly looking behind her. It was a plump middle-aged woman, carrying a broom.

The twelve-year old's gaze locked onto the sweeping device with horror. Oh no. The last time she had been whacked with that implement of torture, she had bruises for weeks.

Naruto booked it, ducking and weaving through the crowd with practiced skill, but her fear making her clumsy. Her sandaled feet hit the dusty streets with a maddened fervor, but it was no use. Despite her age, the woman was a fast runner. Naruto felt herself be yanked back by her collar.

"Have mercy!" she shrieked, covering the back of her head.

"NO MERCY FOR YOU! This is the last straw, Naruto! I'm going to take you to see the Hokage, right here, right now!"

* * *

**Oh I'm so happy! I've had five more reviews, and thank you all so much! I LOVE YOU! Plus, it seems that 'As Things Currently Were' had been added into a community for male heroes turned heroines, called 'Fem!Characters'. I'm SO honored, thank you TheBlackSeaReaper!**

**If anyone is wondering, I'm on October break right now, so I'll be cranking out 1-4 chapters every day. Please click that follow button so you'll be able to read what comes next! Cause trust me, things are going to start heating up pretty darn soon!**


	5. Naruto, Kicked Out of Squad 7?

**I'm anticipating cussing (and slightly suggestive themes .) in the coming chapters, so the rating has gone up. Oh, and when I say 'suggestive themes' I don't mean any... *cough* lemony things. Naruto is twelve, so keep your minds out of the gutter people! But that doesn't mean nothing's going to happen of course. You'll see, anyways. Just not this chapter. Another one.**

* * *

Hiruzen Sarutobi was having an especially craptastic day.

It had gotten off to a _wonderful_ start when his grandson, Konohamaru, had popped in during breakfast to challenge him again. Well that by itself would be fine and dandy, but for some reason the idiot boy had thought it would be a good idea to slide down the table for the attack, _through all of the food_.

Yeah. No breakfast Sarutobi equaled grumpy Sarutobi.

But that wasn't even the worst part. For the rest of the morning, the elderly man had been pelted with non-stop requests and complaints, most of them regarding Naruto's most recent prank (something to do with the senior male's hotsprings). The Hokage had thought that Naruto would've stopped with the childish attention-seeking acts upon becoming a Genin, but apparently not. If anything, they seemed to increase both in number and in destructive tendencies. But around lunch time, Hiruzen unfortunately discovered the true extent of the damage the orange ninja could cause when an S- rank criminal was released into the village. The best part about that particular situation was not only was the criminal hell-bent on destroying the village, but Hiruzen had learned of the criminal's situation and his relation to Naruto from none other than a super-creepy floating eyeball-thing.

So when the Third Hokage finally found the time to eat, and the food was only inches away from his mouth, you can guess his reaction when Naruto (the source of nearly all of his recent problems) was dragged in by the scruff of her neck via angry civilian.

"H-hey old man..." The troublemaker nervously rubbed the back of her head.

No, Hiruzen Sarutobi was not pleased. In fact, he was sick and tired of this genin's constant disruptions of the peace. Young kuniochi like herself needed some sort of stricter discipline, apparently. But in any case, the Third Hokage was tired of dispensing mercy all the time. While he couldn't really punish Naruto, who didn't have any parents, in any substantial way, an idea was forming in the man's crafty old mind. Perhaps... perhaps there was a different, more roundabout way of doing things. Maybe Kakashi was right, and maybe it was Naruto's team-members who were the problem.

The sixty-something year old sighed, and stroked his beard.

In that case, Sarutobi's fledgling plan was extra-perfect. Naruto could be 'punished', and he would be able to see if it really was the girl's fault after all. Plus, it would be a learning experience.

For both Naruto and her new teacher.

"WHAT!? YOU'RE KICKING ME OFF SQUAD SEVEN!?" Naruto shrieked, her eyes flying open with supreme shock. Her heart was throwing a fit inside her ribcage, throwing itself against the walls of her chest over and over again with reckless abandon. No way. NO WAY. This could NOT be happening to her. All of her dreams, of proving herself to the villagers who hated her, of becoming the village hero, _the Hokage_, Naruto could feel them all slipping away...

"Calm down Naruto. I never said that." Naruto could've sworn the old man smirked as he re-adjusted himself on his seat. The Third Hokage took another drag from his pipe, and continued. "I'm merely assigning you to study under another teacher. Kakashi tells me you don't get along with your team-mates on Squad Seven, so this will be a test to see how well you do without their influence."

Konoha's #1 Knuckle-Head Ninja visibly relaxed. "S-so I'll still be a genin and everything right? And I would have to deal with Ranmaru, right?" Her wide blue eyes shone with anticipation.

"Yes, Naruto. But-" The Third was cut off suddenly.

"YAHOO! I'm free now, ya know!" This was punctuated by a rather impressive air-punch-leap-thing on Naruto's part.

"NARUTO!" Hiruzen cut in sharply, making Naruto freeze mid-punch. "Do you even care who your new teacher is?"

"What do you mean? It's going to be Pervy Sage, right?"

The old man frowned. He had considered that also, but ended up choosing a more _appropriate_ person. "No. He's not even in town at the moment."

Naruto blinked, seemingly at a loss. The Hokage could see the gears in her head working, and...

"Uh, Kakashi-sensei, then?"

Insert a mental facepalm on Hiruzen's part. The elderly man took a moment to regain his composure before speaking again. "No Naruto, if he's teaching Sakura and Ranmaru, how can he be teaching you, when I _just told you_ you'd be getting another teacher?"

The young girl's eyebrows creased in thought. "Oh... well then... who...?" She looked up.

Now there really was a smirk on the Hokage's face. "You've already met him, I'm sure."

Naruto struggled to think of who it could be, rattling off names at random. "Izuna-sensei...? No... uh, maybe Asuma-sensei? You, old man? Wait, no, that's not right... Shino...?"

The Hokage's moment of superiority burst with a loud popping noise. "Naruto." The edge in the old man's voice caused the young kunoichi to look up sharply.

"Expect your new teacher to be there by tonight. Now, get _out_ of here!"

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha glared at the tan sphere that floated before him. If looks could kill, the Eye of the Beholder would certainly be dead. Well actually, lots of people Sasuke had met would be dead, but that wasn't the point.

The young man was standing, reluctantly, in the public restroom he had just taken refuge in. Though it was starting to get late, Sasuke didn't want to risk anyone seeing a super creepy floating marble, and calling him out on it.

Sasuke was relatively uncomfortable for many reasons, the main one being the ancient artifact, and another being the bathroom he was standing in. Smelling of old men, it was one of those bathrooms that_ somehow_ had water splashed everywhere. Sasuke ran his eyes with disgust over the dripping surfaces, questionable stains, and oh-god-that-brown-lump-near-the-toilet-better-not-be-what-he-thought-it-was-!

Sasuke's attention returned to the orb, afraid to continue inspecting the establishment. "So I'm guessing you're not here to take me back, are you?" The Uchiha had long sense decided he had been sent to this hell-like past dimension as a form of punishment for attempting to steal from the Temple of Lost Souls. He was fairly sure he wouldn't be sent back until he had either 'proved himself worthy', gone through sufficient pain, or died. Whichever came first.

The Eye snorted. "You wish. I have discussed you and your situation with Hiruzen, and together we have looked into your past and have come up with a suitable plan. As well as protect, you are to teach and help Naruto Uzumaki grow into a ninja strong enough to pass the Chunin exams when they come next month. However, you may NOT use any of that pedophilic snake's methods of teaching, nor may you reveal the true nature of your's and Naruto's past. Though keep in mind Naruto might come to remember over time."

The ancient relic slowly split open around the middle, allowing just a hairswidth of the ominous red chakra to seep out. "Of course, I'll be checking in every once and a while to make sure you're doing your job correctly. Do you understand?"

Sasuke, momentarily forgetting about his questionable surroundings, considered what the Eye said. He knew that he wasn't much of a teacher, but if he unearthed some of his old memories about Naruto, he might be able to teach the loser in a way that not even Naruto would be able to screw up. While there was no question on whether or not he could do this mission (it would be extremely annoying, but relatively easy, Sasuke was sure), the Uchiha had one last concern.

"If I complete this assignment successfully, how much time will have passed when I return to my own world?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed threateningly. "I don't have time to waste here."

The Eye chuckled. "Ah, I see your adopting this with the mindset of completing a mission. How un-creative. Well, it's very much like you to think about your vengeance above everything... Tell you what, remember how Hiruzen told you you had to get Naruto to trust you?" The Eye didn't wait for a response on Sasuke's part, and simply plowed onward. "If you can complete this 'mission', _and_ gain the young ninja's trust, I'll not only send you back with no time passing, but I'll let you take me back to your mentor. So if you think about it, this whole thing is just another step in completing your original mission."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "I understand."

The crack of red opened even farther, exposing more of the Eye's bloody insides. "Good good, and about the more mundane problems that come with you staying here. Hiruzen was gracious enough to give you a decent salary, but you'll have to stay with Naruto. It's too financially troubling to pay you _and_ give you your own apartment." The Eye, now fully open, winked. "Ciao."

Sasuke was left alone with the public restroom's filth. Getting out was a feat in itself, because his shoes were open-toed, and the place was so drenched there was a high possibility of the disgusting bathroom water splashing onto his unprotected toes. So by the time he managed to escape, (which didn't take that long, really, it only seemed that way to germaphobe Sasuke) the Uchiha hadn't really absorbed the Eye's parting words of wisdom.

But now, head clear and unsure of what to do, reality finally hit home. Sasuke blinked, realizing that it was now twilight, and that normal people were either starting to retire for the day, or coming out for some nocturnal fun. And Konoha, being a ninja _village_, didn't really have the most interesting nightlife, so the first option was more common. But none of that was important, besides reminding Sasuke that he had a job to do, and an apartment that he had to return to.

The said apartment he would apparently be sharing with Naruto.

* * *

**Mehehehehe... Remember, Sasuke STILL doesn't know Naruto is a girl, and Naruto STILL doesn't know Sasuke's name, even though we're in five chapters deep. But don't worry, you can be sure Naruto will know who our Uchiha is in the next chapter. I don't know about Sasuke though. He's kinda slow, so I'm purposely going to see how long I can keep the charade up. Have you noticed nobody has made any references about Naruto's gender around Sasuke?**

**Oh, and thank you everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed my story! I know who all of you are, and I've visited every one of your profiles! (holy crap some of you have looooong profiles) I wasn't aware so many people did the copy/paste thing till now. But yeah. Point is, I'm a stalker.**


	6. The Awkward Sleeping Situation

**Oh this is going to be hilarious... Oh, and I found the blueprints to Naruto's apartment, if anyone wants to look at them while they read, PM me!**

* * *

Naruto stared at the back of her wooden door with the kind of sunken horror that only drunkards were said to possess. As a twelve year old, this kind of expression should've been impossible. And it normally would be, until, when contemplating who her next teacher was, she realized that the old man had said 'he' not once, but twice.

He? Naruto's relatively slow brain grappled with the meaning of that word. HE!? As in, boy!? Naruto fleetingly thought of Ranmaru, a BOY, and shuddered. But then froze again. Wait, her teacher was unlikely someone young enough to be called a 'boy'. Guy, maybe. But he was probably going to be a man.

Naruto blinked. Actually, it would probably be okay if it was an old guy. She had trained with Pervy Sage, after all, and he hadn't made so much as a sexual reference to her. Probably because she totally looked like a boy, but still.

She remembered old man Hokage's final parting words. _"Oh yes, and your new teacher's name is Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiwa, but something tells me you'll be fine without familiarity."_

The young girl scrunched her eyebrows together, scratching the top of her head. "Okay... so what kind of guy would be named 'Sasuke Uchiwa'?" She wasn't sure what 'Sasuke' meant, but wasn't a uchiwa a fan that people used to make flames bigger? What the heck was that supposed to mean!?

She sighed, collapsing, her head hitting the tiled surface of her kitchen island. Ugh. If only someone had told her this earlier, she could've gotten an extra futon or _something_ for her sensei to sleep on. It wasn't like she was like normal people, she didn't have any extra bedding, nor a living room so it wasn't like one of the could sleep on the couch. Naruto eyed the dirty surfaces of her wooden paneling. And it wasn't like she was going to risk her life sucking it up and sleeping on her neglected floors!

Naruto was under the impression that her new teacher had traveled quite a ways to come be her sensei, and while they knew the town, they didn't really know the people in it. He was relying on her for his place to sleep, and as his host, it would be incredibly rude to go spend the night at Sakura's house. But anyways, the futon idea was also a problem because Naruto was supplied with only enought money for living expenses, purchases that went into the triple digits, like a decent futon, were impossible, even with the money that she had slowly saved. Naruto looked wistfully at Gama-chan, who was sitting on a kitchen counter nearby. Her wallet was fat, but not _that_ fat.

Naruto suddenly sat up. Okay, so if her teacher was a male, and when he got here he'd probably just want to sleep (as it was pretty dark outside), what the heck was she doing waiting for him in her normal orange tracksuit!? What was she going to do, be all "Hey sensei!", and then start stripping!? With this idea giving her renewed strength, Naruto scrambled through her hallway to her bedroom, where she managed to hunt down her light blue button-up pajamas shirt, along with it's matching pants, and of course, her sleeping cap.

Now that she was properly dressed for sleeping, Naruto came up with another idea with similar reasoning. She gazed in horror at her bedroom that was coated in a layer of clothes. Already she could pick out four pairs of her underwear scattered around. Naruto gulped, and hastily began to pick all of the said garments up from the floor with haste. Sure, she only had the plain asexual white kind (though she did have some boy shorts that she slept in when it was hot), but underwear was underwear, and sensei or not, no boy was going to be seeing them on her watch.

Luckily Naruto didn't have to worry about gathering up bras or anything similar. She seriously had no chest whatsoever; Naruto could probably take her shirt off in public and people wouldn't really care, mistaking her for a boy.

Finally done with her pickup job (the mess that was her room wasn't even dented), Naruto left her room and went back to the hallway, going through the door into her minute and rarely used laundry room, and stuffing her underwear into her hamper, burying it under all of her other assorted clothing. It wasn't like she really had that awesome of clothes. She had her tracksuit, mainly, but she also had a bunch of assorted t-shirts, shorts, her summer tracksuit, and some sweats and sweatshirts. But she did have a few more feminine items, all tucked away in the deepest corner of her dresser. Naruto had two dresses; a mourning dress, and a summer dress. She also had a training bra (awkwardly given to her by Iruka-sensei after that scarring week at the academy) that she never used, and Naruto could honestly say that she had no idea where it was. She scanned her room, the bathroom, and the laundry room again but with no luck.

Naruto sighed, flopping herself onto her bed. She was so tired, and her bed was so comfy... Her comforter was filled with goose feathers, so it was like being wrapped up in a cloud. Within seconds, the ninja's breathing slowed, and her sleeping body twisted around, wrapping itself in blankets.

Sasuke looked like a dead person as he finally dragged himself up the stairs to his shared apartment. After evacuating the bathroom, _more_ Anbu guys came and escorted him _back_ to the Hokage's office, wear he was given his first envelope of pay, and a large paper package that he had yet to open. They spoke briefly, the Hokage giving Sasuke some more instructions (Did Sasuke know he was to discipline Naruto? Yes, Naruto was definitely going to be disciplined.), and Sasuke asked one question before leaving (Does Naruto know I'm coming? The answer was yes, but it was pretty late so Naruto would probably have fallen asleep.) and made his way back to the apartment, his headache slowly growing to a migraine the more he walked past the noisy shops and streetlife.

* * *

Normally, Sasuke wouldn't be so freaking tired, but honestly, his only sleep in the recent week was the few odd hours of napping in between missions and training. So now, as his eyes grew heavier and heavier, and his muscles started to relax, not only was the grinding pain in his head pissing him off, it was also wearing out his last stores of energy.

Sasuke finally made it to Naruto's front door, not even bothering to knock. He kicked off his shoes irritably. At this point, Sasuke's vision was growing dark and hazy. His thoughts came in random spurts, as his bodily need for sleep grew more important than mundane conventions.

_I need to sleep... can't sleep in my clothes... and need to sleep... where can I sleep...? Sure as hell not sleeping on that disgusting floor... there's a bed... but Naruto's sleeping there... Screw Naruto, I'm sleeping..._

And that's how a package was promptly dumped next to the front door along with a pair of sandals, and how a trail of unfamiliar clothing led to Naruto's bed and bedroom.

* * *

**Thanks again to people who reviewed and favorited! I really appreciate your continued support, and if anyone wants Sasuke and Naruto to be thrown into a specific situation, don't be afraid to PM me!**

**Oh, and in an attempt to stay healthy, I'm going to do 15 minutes of excersize for every review I get here on in.**


	7. Irrational Tug

There was a boy.

He was sitting on the dock by the lake, his small feet just touching the surface of the water.

Naruto was there, quite a distance away, on a grassy hill. She blinks and wonders how she got there. After a few seconds of confusion, she realizes that she is a few years younger, and that this is probably a dream.

She looks back at the boy, and discovers he had already noticed her. Why was he glaring at her? Naruto glares back. It wasn't the first time someone has hated her without reason. Then she realizes. There was something familiar about the boy's black hair, his onyx eyes.

She wonders where she's seen him before, then finally remembers. Admittedly he was much older, but this boy was the younger version of the stranger she had met just yesterday. Naruto's glare intensifies, finally having a real reason to dislike him. Secretly, though, she's relieved he doesn't hate her just because.

Despite her finally remembering who the boy is, Naruto can't shake the feeling that she's forgetting something. There's more to it than that.

Naruto finally looks away. The boy isn't her problem, and she'll continue home untroubled by their contact.

But she feels something. A strange, irrational tug, one that wasn't driven by any personal feelings. It was different. Naruto had never experienced anything similar before. She stops, and looks back.

The boy seems to have disconnected himself from the situation as well, but he, too, turns his head back her way.

Even though they had been glaring at each other, this is the first time they make eye contact. The effects come swiftly and suddenly; the strange tug from before blossoms into a kind of understanding. She doesn't like him, but she can physically feel the connection that they both share.

Before they know it, the two small children smile knowingly at one another. But in just moments, they realize what they are doing, and quickly turn away.

They attempt to forget about their sudden connection, and it doesn't make itself known till many years later.

"_I felt it too Naruto, I felt it too."_

.

Naruto's eyelashes flicker, her vision blurry, and her senses hazed with sleep. But despite her limitations, she can clearly see the boy from the dream's face inches away from her own. His dark eyes are shut now, though, and he is a lot older. Even so, the connection from the dream is still palpable, settling around and between them in heavy golden loops. Naruto sighed. She had thought she had woken up, but apparently not. The sleepy twelve year old shut her eyes again, snuggling into the blankets contentedly. But a word passes her lips just as she falls unconscious, as if her subconscious self has reached out and placed it there.

"_Sasuke..._" she breathes.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha could not _believe_ the situation he was currently in. It was ridiculous at best, but the levels of 'worst' ranged from highly inappropriate, to utterly humiliating.

What on earth was he doing sharing a bed with the twelve year old version his long time rival and enemy?

This morning, the young Uchiha had woken to find himself shirtless, stripped of all his gear, in an unfamiliar bed, and pressed up against a person that no longer existed in his timeframe. His kneejerk reaction hurdled him back into the mindset of a younger, genin Sasuke. And genin Sasuke, being genin Sasuke, shrieked with horror and fell off the side of the bed, scrambling to get away from the homosexual situation.

It had taken a few seconds for real-time Sasuke to regain his composure.

Gathering up the scraps of his manly pride, Sasuke hauled himself up, the sudden movement leaving the most of the blood that was supposed to be in his head left behind. Sasuke staggered, leaning against the wall for support. His memories of last night were rather sketchy, probably because he had been half-asleep by the time he had entered the apartment. Sasuke looked about his surroundings for his clothes, and realized that he must have taken them off as he walked, for there was an incriminating line of them starting at the door and ending at Naruto's bed.

Frowning and wearing only his shinobi pants, Sasuke dragged himself to the kitchen to start gathering his things up.

Meanwhile, Naruto Uzumaki stirred in her sleep for the second time. A sudden cold had woken her up, and now she couldn't seem to fall back asleep. Reluctantly, the kunoichi sat up, yawning and stretching. Pure muscle memory took over from there as Naruto began her daily routine, starting with some milk to wake her up.

The pajama-wearing girl groggily made her way into the kitchen, the early morning blur making her oblivious to her unexpected guest until she had actually grabbed her fridge's handle. Naruto blinked, then whirled around, glaring at the intruder.

She blinked again. Was that who she thought it was? The strange man from yesterday? Admittedly, he was only wearing his grey short sleeved shirt and black pants (for some reason he was holding all of his other accessories, like his armbands), but it was definitely him for sure. Younger than she had first thought, he was looking at her with a mild disinterest.

Naruto, put off by his sudden appearance and lack of hostility, backed into the fridge. "You again!" she sputtered, her heart in her throat.

"Calm down. I'm your new teacher." Sasuke barely managed to resist inserting any of the numerous insults that were suddenly popping up, such as 'loser', 'dumbass', and 'because you were too stupid to be placed on a normal genin team'.

The young girl's blue eyes widened. Everything made perfect sense now! He had probably been in her room before because he was waiting for her, and he had tried to rescue her _because she was his student_. She suddenly felt guilty for mentally questioning his intelligence.

"S-so your Sasuke?"

The said person's eye twitched. "Yes." He held out a letter the he had found wedge in between the wall and the door. "Lord Hokage wants you to report back to your team before you start training with me. You should get going, you're already late."

Naruto shrieked "Really!?", and shot back to her room. Sasuke watched with a faint sense of humor as, within seconds, he raced back into the kitchen, somehow fully dressed, then took off through the outside door. Sasuke's mouth twisted into a smirk. It was just like Naruto to blindly trust stranger with his house.

As Naruto sprinted towards the typical meet-up site for Team 7, she suddenly realized that Sasuke must have found a place to sleep by himself, as her teacher had surely arrived some time last night. She smiled. Her sensei was awesome, she could tell.

Absentmindedly, her brain associated 'sleep' and 'Sasuke', causing Naruto to remember her dream. Before she could consider what the dream actually meant in regards to her relationship with the dark haired shinobi, Naruto wondered _where did Sasuke really sleep_? It wasn't likely he would risk his health by sleeping on the floor, and Naruto didn't have a couch, so that left...

The kunoichi suddenly received a visualization of the second part of her dream. Naruto nearly tripped, but managed to catch herself in time. That freaking low life had slept in the same bed as her, then in the morning, acted like nothing had happened! The nerve! Naruto spend the rest of her run grumbling to herself angrily, her admiration for her 'teacher' reduced to food for the fire.

And that was how Naruto permanently decided to find some way to put Mr. Awesome back in his place, no matter what it took!

* * *

**Yeah, kinda a more mellow ending than I had intended, but the situation surrounding Sasuke and Naruto was getting increasingly awkward, so I really had to get Naruto out of there. This is kinda an in-between chapter, and I'm using it to reastablish 1] Naruto's strange 'connection' with Sasuke and 2] Naruto's intense dislike and grudging admiration for Sasuke. So Naruto's all set up, now it's Sasuke's turn. But that can wait, because in the next chapter or so he's going to have hell to pay for his assault on Naruto's virtue.**

**On another note, no freaking way am I doing 15 min of excersize for every comment. I did (more like tried) for that first day, and I realized that I was starting too strongly. I'll work up to it eventually, but for now I'll start with either 5 min or 10 min per review, depending on how many I get. Oh, and if anyone wants a more exciting ending for this chapter, just PM me and I'll rewrite one, easy. I don't really mind it, but if my readers do then I'll gladly figure something out!**


	8. I'm Home!

Sasuke Uchiha was that one guy _nobody_ wanted to have as a roommate.

Despite his appearances on missions, where he couldn't care less about his living conditions, in daily life he needed to have his quarters _exactly_ the way he wanted it. Sasuke hadn't been aware of it until joining Orochimaru, when after a few weeks of pent up resentment he had the mother of all freak-outs. Needless to say, from then on nobody, not even the snake-man himself, interfered with Sasuke's 'personal space'.

Sasuke could feel it welling up inside of him after Naruto bounded off. Paired with the knowledge he'd have to live with the hyperactive twelve year old for a significant amount of time, his overall disgust for the apartment and the general situation skyrocketed.

He sat down on one of the stools, his head in his hands. He needed to calm down, to keep it together. But stuck in the house until Naruto came back at an undetermined time, Sasuke didn't know how much longer he'd last. The young shinobi took a deep breath, and made his way over to the fridge. First of all, it would be good to get something to eat. He wasn't hungry (not for Naruto's food anyways), but he needed to distract himself somehow.

Sasuke pulled open the door, and stared at the contents of the icebox with disbelief. It was almost completely empty, holding only a carton of milk and way too many condiments. Sasuke slowly closed the door, his frustration building up. He had known Naruto ate ramen to the point where it wasn't healthy, but he hadn't been aware that was _all_ he ate.

On his way back to the table, Sasuke's bare foot stepped on something sticky and disgusting.

He snapped.

* * *

After a morning of trying to befriend Sakura, Sakura ignoring her and trying to win over Ranmaru, and Ranmaru's verbal abuse, Naruto was finally on her way home. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Ranmaru had another _amazing_ idea, ("Hey, sense Naruto isn't going to be with us for a while, let's make this the best training session yet!") and sense Kakashi had somehow gotten his hands on the 'limited extended super-special version' of Itchy Itchy Paradise, Ranmaru was basically given a free pass to push Naruto off cliffs ("Endurance!"), send her into dark alleyways to fetch the cat they were commissioned to find ("Fighting spirit!"), and then she was forced to run away from the said cat ("Speed!"). Finally, after all of that, he had the nerve to waltz up with his too-wide smile. "Wasn't that _fun_, Naruto?"

She could've sworn she popped a vein.

But in any case, it was the middle of the day, and her breakfast-less stomach was begging for some food right about then. But Naruto was struggling between her feelings of being a good host and waiting to eat with her guest, and her feelings of 'sensei can go screw himself, I'm eating'. Before she could make a decision though, a scarf wearing short person was storming down the suburban path towards her.

"Boss! Boss!" Tears were streaming down his young face. "I'm so glad I found you!"

Naruto rushed forward to meet her minion. "Konohamaru! What's wrong!?" Judging by his expression, it was something serious.

"I-I met a demon earlier! H-he grabbed me, a-and-" The academy student burst into a fit of wailing. Naruto panicked. "A demon!?" To her knowledge, the 'demon' she knew (*cough*Ranmaru*cough*) had been busy tormenting her for the better part of her day.

"Y-Yeah... h-he said I-I needed to find you unless I wanted to d-die!" Cue more wailing.

Naruto froze. "He was looking for me!? Do you know why!?"

But Konohamaru refused to answer, only crying louder, his hands buried in his face. Naruto swallowed. She was never good at comforting people, but she knew she had to do something. The kunoichi crouched down next to her minion, and placed a hand on Konohamaru's shaking shoulder. "It's okay now, you can tell me." She grinned. "Your boss is strong, after all!"

He sniffed, and looked up. "K-kay... Well, I was walking around the market during lunch break, when I was suddenly grabbed. It was him, and he leaned in really close and he said _"You're the kid that follows Naruto around, aren't you?"_ a-and I told him to let go of me, but he gave me this look, and I suddenly couldn't move, I was so scared. Then he said, very quietly, _"Go get Naruto."_ and then he said you needed to go back home as soon as you could, _"Or else." _!"

Naruto stood up. Crap, she knew there was only one person who cut Konohamaru's description. She swallowed; Sasuke sounded really angry, for whatever reason. "It'll be alright Konohamaru, I'll take care of this!"

.

The academy student watched as his boss bounded away, leaving him on the path. He had just remembered something strange about the man who had threatened him. When he had asked Konohamaru to get Naruto, he had said, _"Go get Naruto, and make sure he comes back home as soon as possible."_ He hadn't noticed at first, but the 'demon' had referred to Naruto as a 'he'. Strange, but Konohamaru shrugged it off. One of the best things about his boss was that she didn't act like some pansy girl, so it made sense that 'she' was called a 'he'. Not really caring anymore, the young student hurried back to the academy, where he was sure to be late.

* * *

When Naruto made it to her doorstep, she wasn't really sure how to proceed. She literally had _no_ experience in regards to living with another person, and wasn't sure if she should've just avoided coming home in general or if she should've tried to come back faster. But she was here now, and it was best to get it over with, whatever 'it' was going to be.

Naruto swallowed, and opened the door, cautiously making her way into the kitchen. "I'm home!" she called, without realizing it. Naruto blinked. Never in her life had she ever said those words, nobody was there to hear her even if she did. A strangely warm, melancholy feeling engulfed her, but before she could decipher it, someone (presumably Sasuke) from another room called out a response.

"It's about time you came back." Her teacher stepped into the kitchen, and Naruto could feel her eyes literally pop out of their sockets. He was wearing a cleaning bandanna!

"Wh-what are you wearing!?" She asked, aghast. It just looked so... _out of place_!

Ignoring her, Sasuke strode forward. "Naruto. How did your apartment get so _disgusting_?" He said accusingly, and grabbed the twelve year old by the scruff of her neck, proceeding to drag her out of the kitchen. "I've been cleaning all day, but I don't know where any of these things go." They were in the bedroom now, and he gestured to a pile of assorted objects that sat on a tarp in the middle of the room (apparently he hadn't wanted them to touch the wood paneling). But Naruto gawked, her mind blown to the point where she was content to just dangle half a foot off the floor.

She hadn't noticed before, but the house was _clean_. Not like bed made, tidied up clean, but _sparkle_ clean! Even when Sasuke dumped her unceremoniously onto the floor, she couldn't find it in her to respond. Luckily for her, Sasuke wasn't done speaking.

"If I'm going to live here, you need to make an effort to keep the place decent. No ditching your clothes on the floor, got it? And that drawer is mine."

Naruto was picking the objects up off of the floor and putting them away with machine-like speed. Even though they were talking about normal, mundane things, Sasuke's tone still had that cold, disinterested feel. The older ninja began to leave. "When you're done, come help me organize the groceries." Under his breath, he added. "I can't _believe_ you seriously only eat ramen...!"

Naruto Uzumaki couldn't believe what had happened. In one day, it seemed like her whole lifestyle had changed. Her house was clean (she couldn't shake the feeling he'd make her pay for it though), the fridge was now apparently going to have food in it, and a _training schedule_? This was all just too weird. But she remembered one thing that, maybe, wasn't all that bad.

_"I'm home!"_

* * *

**Ugh. Another chapter I'm totally not satisfied with. I don't know, it's really hard to envision Sasuke's daily life side, but I hope I did okay. It just seems like he'd be a really bad roomate, in any case! I do know that this should be the last awkward chapter, if everything goes according to plans...**

**But anyways, sense I only got one review the other day (;-;), I did the fifteen minutes like I used to.**


	9. Decisions, Decisions

"You... you're not _human_." Naruto hissed between clenched teeth, sweat and loathing pouring into her eyes. One hand was clutching her side, and the free one managed to clear her gaze with a little effort. She was panting, her lungs desperately gasping for air. "You're some kind of demon!" Her accusation came out strangled, and her legs trembled, unable to support her aching, beaten body. This was it. She had always thought she would become Hokage before dying, but the young kunoichi simply did not have any energy left. She was done, and even now she could feel the darkness creeping into her peripheral vision...

"Quit being so overdramatic, Naruto." Sasuke's voice held no pity or concern whatsoever. He impatiently grabbed the fainting twelve year old by the shoulder, and dragged her over to a tree, forcing Naruto to sit down there.

Naruto's head snapped up. "Hit the center target perfectly, with perfect form, fifty perfect times in a freaking perfect row! And then"- she sucked in a breath, preparing for her next verbal attack- "Five hours of straight taijutsu sparring with you! With no dinner!" Naruto groaned, slumping against the tree, ignoring the bits of bark that were sure to be crumbling into her hair. "You're killing me here!"

Sasuke remained unaffected. "I was under the opinion you wanted to become the Hokage."

Naruto glared resentfully at Sasuke, not even bothering to ask how he knew that. "What about it?"

"You do know you can't become Hokage unless you're the strongest ninja in the village, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"..."

"I already knew that!"

Sasuke internally groaned. "Naruto, you won't become the Hokage if you can't beat me."

Naruto snorted. "I'm not stupid, you don't even belong to this village." She waited for him to reply in his over-confident way, maybe even revealing which village he was from. Finally, after a long silence, Sasuke turned away.

"Fifty more shuriken and kunai exercises."

"_What!?_"

.

Sasuke wondered how he could be put in a situation like this. A few days ago he would've laughed if anyone had told him he'd be carrying a twelve year old Naruto back from a training session that lasted over seven hours.

The Uchiha hefted the weight over his shoulder, the burden meant little to him, but Naruto's face was now a little too close for comfort. The kid was burnt out, that's for sure. It seemed that bringing up the Hokage dream was a good tactic to get him fired up about training.

As Sasuke made his way into the house and into the bedroom, he momentarily hesitated before setting his load onto the lone bed. True, they had slept together without much trouble (Sasuke happening to forget that morning's scare), but that was only because he had been the first to wake up. Naruto would undoubtly be upset if he just went ahead and slept in the same bed as him, and while Sasuke didn't particularly give a damn about Naruto's opinion besides when it concerned the mission, sleeping in the same bed was a little too intimate for his tastes.

Sasuke's gaze slid over Naruto's sleeping form. Decisions, decisions.

* * *

Naruto had another dream about herself and young Sasuke, but this time they're both about her age. She wasn't particularly sure what was happening, but they were fighting.

Naruto is standing high up, next to a waterfall. Sasuke, who is standing on the other side of the waterfall, transforms. He sprouts wings, and his hair and skin change color, but can't see clearly because he's far away and she's surrounded by a strange boiling chakra.

The chakra seems to reflect her emotions. She's angry, angrier than she can ever remember being. And sad too. Heartbroken. But she knows she has to have faith. She has to win this fight.

In her dream, she can't hear anything, but she knows that they are calling the names of their respective jutsu as they launch themselves at each other. Sasuke summons a crackling electricity, while a chakra ball swirls into being on her hand.

They collide, not just as opposing forces but as clashing ideals. A white light engulfs everything, and while Naruto thought she hadn't heard anything before, this is truly a lack of sound.

If she pays attention, she can feel her elongated fingernail scrape against her foe's headband, but that's no longer important.

Naruto cannot believe the expression on Sasuke's face, but she is sure her's is a mirror image. They had been screaming at another before, their faces twisting into all sorts of painful appearances. But this, this is the most painful by far.

They are looking at another. After all of their arguing and misunderstandings, their feelings come in synch for what might possibly be the last time. They're both remembering everything about another, and they are reflecting on the fight and the decisions they had made. As they stare into one another's eyes, momentarily bonded by a moment outside of time, they both think the same thing.

_What have we done?_

_._

Naruto woke with a start, sweating and gasping for breath. That dream had been _horrible_. She untangled herself from the knot of covers, and looked around warily for Sasuke. She had made a point last night to pass out after all that training (sick bastard deserve to carry her), so she wouldn't have to deal with figuring out where he was supposed to sleep. Sure, he might've slept with her again, but with the morning grouchiness setting in, frankly Naruto didn't really care anymore.

As she made her way to the bathroom with the intention to take a shower, she could hear Sasuke cooking in the backround. Naruto grimanced. He was probably going to make her eat _vegetables_ again. She'd have to hit up Ichiraku next chance she had, but whe knew when that would come along when it seemed like Sasuke didn't really have anything else to do with his time besides train her.

Naruto slid the frosted glass door open, and turned the shower on, automatically recoiling from mist that came off of the spray. She quickly undressed, glad that she brought a change of clothes with her into the bathroom so she wouldn't have to go running around the house naked. Naruto stuck her hand under the water, and it seemed fine so she got in, going about her shampooing with a ritualistic efficiency.

Suddenly the water turned _freezing_, and Naruto jumped to the back of the shower with a yelp. She pressed herself against the wall, and made her way over to the handles, and cranked 'H' up all of the way. After a minute of no temperature change, she did the same to 'C', but this time turning it all the way down.

When there was still no response, Naruto knew that _someone_ must have used up all of the hot water earlier. But still, she had to rinse out the shampoo. "I-I'M GONNA K-KILL YOU SASUKE!" she screamed as the icy water burned her skin, not really caring if he heard her or not.

In the kitchen, Sasuke smirked.

* * *

**Okay, while it's not a filler chapter, it's pretty darn close. But I felt like I had to give Naruto and Sasuke's domestic life a little more screen time, for the sake of realism and potential laughs. The idea of Naruto running out of hot water was inspired by a similar incident that happened to me the other day, if anyone wanted to know.**

**A MASSIVE thanks towards all of my loyal reviewers, if you knew the extent to which I stalk you all you would probably find some way to have me kicked off of FanFiction, haha... (.'') Oh, and guess what? CURRENTLY WERE HAS BEEN ADDED TO ANOTHER COMMUNITY! *squee***

**Oh, and finally, to the people who, like me, are getting a little bored or impatient with the story's progress, you'll probably like the next chapter. It's going to get a little... _steamy_... (pun intended)!**


	10. Hot Springs Pt 1

Crap, crap, crappity, _crap_. Naruto fumbled with the removable shower head before finding a grip and rinsing herself off. Her towel was folded in her lap for modesty's sake, and she could feel her blood pounding in her ears as she struggled to clean herself without causing a scene. There was no way she could get herself safely into the bath before her teacher showed up.

Naruto didn't know _why_ she was freaking out. She had never been body conscious, really (after all, it's not like she had anything to be conscious about). And she had always loved going to the hotsprings, but for some reason the idea of going to one with Sasuke totally had her in for a loop.

Sure, she was pretty sure they slept in the same bed ever sense he had shown up less than a week ago (but this was only a suspicion since she had never really caught him in the act, unless you counted that one time on the first night). And yeah, it wasn't like she had anything to hide (again, Naruto had no boobs whatsoever). But _still_.

The kunoichi scrambled towards the baths, attempting to hurry and be sneaky at the same time. Of, course, she failed in the form of slipping on a strategically placed puddle and landing painfully on her butt.

Suprisingly enough, it had been Sasuke's idea to go the onsen in the first place. He had claimed it was because she was doing well in training, but Naruto suspected otherwise. First of all, judging from the lack of freaking hot water everytime she tried to take a shower, the guy just really liked baths, period. And second of all, she was pretty sure her unrelenting complaining about not being able to bathe finally broke through that thick skull of his somehow.

Naruto swam sulkily through the hot water, only her nose and up were above the steaming H2O. Her towel was folded neatly atop of her head, pushing her unruly hair down and into a state of control. But she knew it was only temporary; the moment she took the towel off her blonde locks were sure to spring up again. Seriously, the only reason she kept it short was because she suspected they would still stick up if her hair was long, and she'd be forced to keep it in pigtails or something to make up for it. Naruto shuddered, finally finding a comfortable place tucked into a rocky corner. How she hated pigtails.

But anyways, getting back on the subject, it had been stupid Sasuke's stupid idea to pick a mixed bath area. But she supposed that it was just his form of torturing her, and she would just have to-

Naruto froze. There was someone next to her, _there was someone next to her_! Normally she wouldn't mind a person being only a couple feet away (it was a public bath, after all), but there weren't a lot of people bathing right now, and the person wasn't only a 'couple feet away'. Their shoulders was touching, for god's sake!

Naruto jerked back, her towel _almost_ falling off of her head. "Sasuke!" she sputtered, feeling relieved and horrified at the same time.

"Naruto." He replied, cool as ever. "Shut up." And with that, he shut his eyes and leaned his head against the cool grey stone behind him.

Seriously, the only reason he had wanted to go to the hot springs in the first place was because volcanic origins were not only beneficial to his health (mental and physical), but because the water truly helped him focus his chakra. This trip in itself was a sort of chakra control training, and Naruto needed to be quiet if he had any hope of concentrating enough to get anything done.

Speaking of Naruto, the blonde idiot had been a little weird about going to the hotsprings. As soon as Sasuke had suggested it, Naruto had began to act out of sorts. It wasn't like the twelve year old was embarrassed, but something was up, and Sasuke couldn't quite put his finger on it. After some thought, he had a sudden idea. It was that braid-boy, Ranmaru's fault, no doubt. He had probably made Naruto permanently suspicious of humans, thanks to that molestation a few days ago.

Sasuke sank a little deeper into the steaming water, feeling his muscles slowly start to loosen up. Feeling very relaxed, he almost lazily turned over to glance at Naruto, who for some reason, was staring at him with shocked expression. Was it because he had snuck up on him? Sasuke smirked, and resumed his meditating.

Naruto was indignant. Furious. Here she was, freaking out that she was practically naked two feet away from Sasuke, and the punk didn't seem to care at all. In fact, he had just sat himself down right next to her, as if was wasn't bothered in the least! It was the same as the bed situation, Sasuke had always managed to keep his cool about everything, and now here she was, looking like a fool.

Naruto screwed her face up in determination. Well fine then. If _he_ didn't care, then _she_ sure as hell wouldn't care either. No way was she going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he could pull that kind of response from her without even trying. Naruto took a deep breath. She had to calm down, play it cool.

The kunoichi slowly made her way back over to where Sasuke was sitting, until she was gradually back in the original position she was in, with her arms touching his. She waited apprehensively, wondering if she could get some kind of reaction out of the older ninja.

Seconds passed, and nothing happened.

She swallowed. Of course not. Sasuke had sat like that of his own free will, it was stupid of her to think he'd be unsettled by something he himself just did. Naruto's competitive spirit began to stir, just a little. She had to show him how much she really didn't care about his presence.

With a display of mental willpower, Naruto slid a little closer to Sasuke, under the pretense of leaning to look over at some kids who were splashing happily nearby. Naruto stared at the sky, unsure what to do now. Before, it had been a casual brushing of arms, but now the two limbs were firmly pressed together, and Naruto could clearly feel his lean muscles against her stringy ones. Of course, as a kunoichi, it wasn't like she was flabby or skinny or anything, but Naruto had always been a runt, and as a result she never really grew evenly muscled like her female comrades.

Sasuke's subconscious stirred out of the first levels of meditation. While he hadn't noticed when Naruto had first sat down next to him, he finally took some attention when Naruto leaned over to peer at some nearby ruckus. Naturally, he had expected him to move back when he was done, but for some reason the twelve year old had decided to stay in close proximity. Sasuke's gaze flickered over to Naruto momentarily before shutting again. What was the idiot trying to pull now? If Naruto had been a girl, he would've suspected him of trying to seduce him, but Sasuke knew that Naruto was probably plotting something in that simple mind of his. Sasuke remembered how Naruto had reacted when he had first sat down. Was he trying to take some kind of revenge for being startled? Was Naruto trying to psyche him out or something?

Sasuke's mouth turned up ever so slightly. Like that was ever going to happen.

Naruto felt something brush against her bare leg, and she jerked her limb back rapidly. What was _that_? Her mind was scrabbling through all the possibilities (shark attack, kids pranking, ect.) when she spotted some movement out of the corner of her eye that made her freeze.

Sasuke was _smiling_. Sure it was only a ghost of a smile, but Naruto could clearly see that it reached his onyx eyes, which happened to be locked on her. She blinked, then her own blue orbs narrowed. Was he _challenging_ her? She knew that the likelihood of that was slim to nothing, but there was no other reason Naruto could think of for her teacher to be looking at her like _'Hey, whatcha gonna do now?' _The kunoichi's brow furrowed. Oh hell no.

* * *

**So yeah. Next chapter, obviously, is going to be exciting. You know what I just realised? My chapters are short. If anyone wants them longer, just say so.**

**Oh, and the community that added 'As Things Currently Were' is called 'Awesome Stories That Should Be Shared With the World', or something similar.**


	11. Hot Springs Pt 2

His foot had been rubbing against her leg. His _foot_ had been rubbing against her _leg_! Naruto swallowed, barely containing the massive amounts of rage that were beginning to bubble up from someplace deep within. But she was a kunoichi, and kunoichi weren't supposed to let their male counterparts hold any sort of sway over them, so Naruto was going to keep her cool and behave properly for once. A slow, disarming smile spread pleasantly across the young girl's face.

Then again, as a kunoichi, she was honor-bound to kick her offender's ass.

The blonde struck her target as suddenly as any cobra. Using not only her arms, but her whole body, Naruto created what she was proud to call the single most largest wave she had the honor of directing at a butt-face. Anticipating a drenched Sasuke's counter-attack, Naruto immediately dove under the surface of the water, not having to go very far considering her head was the only thing that wasn't already submerged.

Sasuke had a problem. Well, two problems, actually. He could easily avoid the unexpectedly large wave that was currently arching towards him, but to do so would show off more skin than he would've liked. He didn't want to copy the shrimp, but it seemed like that was his only option. Without pause, he slid under the sulfur-yellow surface of the steaming hotspring.

Naruto could not see anything. As in, the water was so full of healthy minerals only the bridge of her nose was currently visible. While this was a good thing (now nobody else who was underwater would be able to see her naked, Sasuke or otherwise) it also brought in a few risks to her venture. Like, what it she unwittingly swam into somebody? And that somebody would probably be naked. Heck, she might even bump into _Sasuke_.

The twelve year old stiffened, her heartbeat suddenly loud in her ears. What if Sasuke came for revenge? What would he do to her? Naruto knew it was unlikely he would execute anything perverted, but the prospect of being underwater, naked, at the same time as him was, was...

Absolutely horrifying.

Throat constricting with fear, Naruto slowly edged her way to the left, were she was pretty sure nobody had been when she last cared to check. The kunoichi spread her senses out, trying to become tuned to even the slightest change in her direct environment. If she had learned anything about Sasuke in the past few recent days, it was that he would never pass up a chance to get revenge on someone.

Naruto nearly choked, her whole body engulfed in some kind of momentary spasm. Was she running out of oxygen? No, she couldn't be, her academy training wouldn't allow her to for a significant amount of time. Her ears were ringing, and she was slightly shaking. So what had happened? Looking around, nothing around Naruto had changed. Still the blank yellow sheet it had been. But something must had happened.

_Revenge. _By itself, the word was harmless. But when she placed 'Sasuke' in the same sentence... A wave of sickening fear rolled over Naruto, knocking her against some (apparently) nearby rocks. Her mind was in an instinctual flurry, her hands grabbing for a weapon, anything, and a single thought ringing throughout her head,_ she had to stop him_.

Naruto blinked, breaking whatever spell that had come over her. What? Stop who? Sasuke? Bewildered, the young girl slowly put down a jagged rock she had somehow picked up. _What the heck just happened to me? _Sensing her need for air, Naruto eagerly accepted the distraction, and tilted her head up to sneak a breath, figuring she had moved far enough away.

Which was, as it were, a rather unfortunate decision on Naruto's part, for Sasuke had been waiting for just that.

The moment Naruto's nose and mouth broke the surface of the water, hands that were significantly larger than her own slid down her jawline, and were none too gently cradling her face. Like a hooked fish, the twelve year old was reeled out of water just enough to expose the rest of her face, head, and shoulders.

Shocked blue eyes met seemingly impassive black.

For some reason, her breath hadn't quickened at all. If anything, it had stilled. Her heartbeat was peaceful, and her limbs weren't exploding with energy. For Naruto Uzumaki, notorious throughout the Hidden Leaf for her hyperactivity, this was a first. In the back of her mind, Naruto wondered why she wasn't freaking out, why she wasn't turning red or swimming away as fast as she could. She was caught in the moment, marveling in the fact that, for the first time, she could decipher feeling and meaning behind the eyes of Sasuke Uchiha.

There was irritation, of course, but Naruto was shocked to find a few lingering traces of amusement. Overall, however, there was nothing. No sort of giveaway to her senior's thoughts. So why now? Why could she suddenly see what wasn't supposed to be there?

Sasuke had always disliked those blue eyes of Naruto's. They stared at you, and silently asked all the questions that you never had the courage for to ask yourself. Those probing, piercing, blue eyes. Without a word, the Uchiha boy unceremoniously released his hold on Naruto's skull, dumping her into the steaming waters of the onsen. He had forgotten whatever it was he had intended to do to the brat, and for some reason that irked him. Naruto had always been able to push his buttons like nobody else, whether the blonde boy knew it or not.

"Naruto, we're going home now."

Almost impatiently, Sasuke exited the bath, and ducked out of sight into the changing rooms, not caring to wait for Naruto. He felt an inexplicable need to separate himself from the situation, from Naruto. Which was strange because truthfully nothing _had_ happened, there was no 'situation' he had to detach himself from.

"Sasuke, you bastard, wait for me!"

With some satisfaction, Sasuke left as quickly as he could. Which was, in fact, _quick_.

* * *

**Well, that took longer than normal to update, simply because this chapter proved to be rather challenging. To address the chapter length issue, I made this one the normal length so it would match the first part of the chapter. I'll try to make the next chapter longer, and I'll put up a poll to see if you guys like it that way or not. And while we're on this topic, the next chapter should come sometime this week, if not today.**

**I just wanted to say this, but in one of the previous chapters it's mentioned that Sasuke's last name is Uchiwa, not Uchiha. This is done on purpose because, after all, the Uchiha's are supposed to be extinct in this universe, so 'Uchiwa' is Sasuke's fake last name.**

**I didn't particularly like this chapter (again). It was extremely difficult to write, just because the characterization was being stupid. I'm having an especially hard time with Sasuke, but it'll be easier in the coming chapters for sure. Oh, that reminds me. You know how in lots of fanfiction, Sasuke is this smirky over-confident asshole? Well he is, but I kind of think that he has outgrown a lot of that in Shippuden. I have this different take on him, and I want to showcase some of his better traits in this story. I got a lot of inspiration for Sasuke's coming character from the song 'Monster' by Paramore. If you imagine her singing from his point of view, you'll see what I mean. It's crazy!**

**I have a whole playlist of songs for this fanfiction, and I highly recommend you look 'em up whenever I mention one. It'll give you a ton of insight!**


	12. That Dress Problem

As Naruto's official sensei, Kakashi Hatake felt he had a kind of right to look out for his pupil's wellbeing. In fact, that was his job, whether he was on duty or not. And even if he wasn't actively teaching the young kunoichi, even if they rarely crossed paths anymore, he was worried. Of course, in the beginning, he hadn't given a flying fig about her new sensei, this young dark haired stranger. If this shinobi was good enough for the Hokage, what was he to say on the matter?

It had happened a few days ago, when he was piddling purposelessly around on the streets of the Hidden Leaf. He was supposed to meet the Hokage at six o'clock sharp, so Kakashi figured he had a good thirty minutes before he was actually expected to arrive. He was eyeing a new bookstore when a rather unforgettable voice rang through the air.

"_So, Sasuke, do you wanna pay for this bowl?"_

Naruto Uzumaki had never been the quietest of girls. Kakashi's attention drifted towards the source of the voice, the nearby Ichiraku Ramen.

"_What do you think?"_

The reply was in a voice that was also strangely familiar to the copy-ninja, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before. Shrugging, Kakashi assumed that it belonged to Naruto's new instructor, and stealthily inched closer to the ramen shop.

"_Please! I forgot Gama-chan at home, and I just ran out of coupons."_

"_Well then that's your fault, isn't it?"_

"_Ow!"_

"_Maybe next time you shouldn't try to take my noodles."_

He told himself that this was a normal situation. Student and teacher, eating together after training... together. Something was up, something was... wrong.

.

Sasuke Uchiha was out of clothes. He hadn't been thinking when he had put Naruto in charge of the laundry, but he certainly wouldn't make that mistake again. It wasn't like he was naked, of course, but the only item of clothing he possessed that wasn't in the wash was a overlarge pair of sweatpants that some 'helpful' old woman next door had given Naruto- her son had moved out, and she was pushing his hand-me-downs onto anyone she could.

So here he was, reduced to rummaging around for something -anything- to wear. Sasuke doubted Naruto had anything his size, but at this point he was desperate enough to check. Crouched on the apartment's hard wood floor, Sasuke was systematically going through each of Naruto's dresser drawers. It was then, when he finally worked his way to the bottom of a pile of t-shirts, that a flash of white caught his eye. Cautiously, the shinobi tugged the article of clothing free, noting the smooth quality of the cloth.

Sasuke stared blankly at the sundress that now hung freely between himself and the wooden dresser.

.

"So, tell us about your new instructor!"

"Yeah Naruto, you told me you didn't know who he was!"

Naruto gulped, and backed up a little, her panicked gaze swinging over the gaggle of girls that were now engulfing her personal space. Sakura and Ino were at the head of this group, and Ino in particular seemed to be relishing that responsibility. A kunoichi in the back asked for his name, and soon the rest of them were demanding it as well.

"Tell us, Naruto!"

"Tell, tell!"

The blonde in question screwed up her face. Truly, she wasn't used to this much non-hostile human attention.

"Uhm... Sasuke... it's Sasuke..."

All heads turned to look at a dark-haired girl blushing off to the side of the interrogation. The originally pale genin's blush deepened, and she began to squirm nervously.

"I-I heard Kurenai-sensei talking about it... with Kakashi-sensei..."

Satisfied, the half-a-dozen questioning girls immediately shifted their attention back over to Naruto.

"So are you guys going out?"

"Are you together?"

The noise level immediately skyrocketed, every girl trying to share her opinions at the same time. But, once again, a lone voice broke through the clamor, this time from Ino.

"Have you guys... _done anything_?"

Dead silence, and six (actually seven, if you count Hinata) pairs of eyes were staring intently at Naruto.

Unsure how to respond, Naruto's face screwed up even more with confusion. "I don't know what you mean."

Sakura edged forward. "You know... have you guys... _done anything_?"

Naruto rolled her eyes. If all they were going to do was repeat the question, she was going to be forced to figure out what they meant by herself.

"Uhm, we train together."

A girl to the left nodded. "And what else?"

"We, ah..." Naruto wracked her brains for activities she and Sasuke took part in together. Okay, so besides training they... "Eat together?"

All eyes widened. Encouraged by the crowd's response, Naruto continued. "We go to the hotsprings all the time, at least three times a week. And, uhm, I suspect we sleep together." she finished proudly.

Mouths fell open, and even Ino was left speechless. "You... _sleep together_...?"

Naruto shrugged. "I think."

"You think." Ino echoed.

Sakura nervously rubbed her arms. "Uh, Naruto, you know what that means, right?"

Naruto frowned. Sure, she knew she wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch, but she wasn't _dumb_.

"Yeah. It means getting into bed, and _sleeping_."

The girls broke out into sighs of relief. "Oh, so you aren't doing anything important."

Naruto narrowed her eyes. Training _was_ so important! "We do to! I told you, we train!"

Ino shrugged. "Yeah yeah, but what I mean is, are you two, like, involved with each other?"

"I told you, he's my teacher..."

Naruto's fellow blonde held up a hand to silence her. "No. I mean, do you like him, and does he like you?" Ino's eyes narrowed in frustration when she realized what kind of response she was going to get. "Nevermind. What I _really_ mean is, are you guys lovey-dovey and stuff?"

Naruto blinked slowly. "Uh... no." She finally replied simply.

Ino grinned in triumph. "See!" She turned to her five groupies. "I told you!"

She wasn't sure what was going on, but Naruto sensed she was being made fun of. She had to think fast, to redirect the mockery... onto someone else. Naruto smirked, leaning against a nearby store wall. This plan was totally built on lies (as far as she knew), but nothing too bad would come from it. "Well, I wouldn't want to be lovey dovey with him anyways."

Ino smirked. "Yeah?"

Naruto locked eyes with the kunoichi. "Yeah. He's gay, after all."

.

Okay, yeah. Claiming that someone as 'attractive' as Sasuke was gay, and therefore unavailable, was probably a bad move in the long run. And now she was paying for it.

Naruto slunk through the bushes that surrounded the wooded area Sasuke was currently training in. Crawling on her hands and knees, the young kunoichi stubbornly ignored the rocks that were digging into her bare palms, and the twigs and leaves that were probably crumbling into her hair and down her neck. Naruto stifled a swear word, and continued her incognito mission.

"_Prove it, prove that he's gay!"_

Well, it wasn't like that would be too hard. It'd only, you know, be kind of impossible, but whatever. That wasn't really important at the moment. What was important, after all, was the humiliation she was about to put herself through. Naruto stopped making her way through the undergrowth, and sat up, gritting her teeth.

Her practiced (and at this point, rather bruised) hands easily fell into the required handsign, and Naruto discretely announced her jutsu under her breath.

"Sexy no Jutsu!"

With a whirl of smoke, Naruto's form transformed significantly. She became taller, her face more defined, and her shoulders broadened. Sense she wasn't trying to knock anyone out, she had clothes on, but they were altered into what she imagined was a cooler and more masculine version of her own jumpsuit.

Damn, if she was a guy, she would've been so freaking handsome.

Naruto ran her, _his_, hand through his short spiked hair, and grinned mischievously.

.

Sasuke had been peacefully practicing his kenjutsu. He had been slowly unwinding, working out his problems with every swish of his chokutō, every carefully controlled release of chakra, every efficient flex of his muscles.

Why does Naruto own a dress?

_Swish._

Why would Naruto own a dress?

_Swish._

And so on and so forth. He was reaching a sort of 'if I ignore it, the problem will go away' mindset when something rather unexpected happened.

Sasuke froze, his face falling into a genuinely shocked expression. "_Naruto_?"

The blonde was stopped midstep on his way over to Sasuke. She didn't think she would be discovered so easily, but in hindsight she probably should've found a way to hide her facial birthmarks. But before she could figure out some sort of response, Sasuke's eyes narrowed, taking on a steely edge that she hadn't seen before. The dark haired boy slid into a battle stance, blade ready. Naruto's eyes widened in alarm.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was cold, an emotionless monologue. Naruto searched his eyes, but even with her newfound skill, there was nothing. Only a black emptiness.

Naruto swallowed, and unconsciously held her hands up defensively. "Uhm, Sasuke...?"

"You have to leave. Now."

Confusion ran rampant through the twelve year old's mind. Naruto forgot about her body's current state. "Sasuke, what's wrong?" she demanded urgently.

"Naruto, what will you do if your younger self sees you?"

Not understanding what was happening, Naruto could only gape, at a loss for words. What was going on? What was he talking about?

"If we had met under any other circumstance, I would've killed you on the spot. Remember that. Now go."

"S-Sasuke...?" Naruto had never been one for stuttering, but this was the exception. She could only hear what he had said echoing in her ears. _I would've killed you on the spot. _What had caused this? Why was he suddenly acting like she was... an enemy?

"You can't save me, Naruto. So leave." Sasuke's grip on his weapon tightened, and a sort of killing intent seemed to swell out from his presence. "_Before I_ _make you_."

Wordlessly, Naruto swung around, and mechanically stumbled off into the forest. She crashed through the undergrowth for a ways before gathering her wits and leaping onto a branch, leaping from tree limb to tree limb. The thunks of her sandaled feet landing solidly on smooth bark was the only sound that resonated through the silence. Naruto felt cut off from the situation somehow, like none of this was really happening. Like the horrible nightmares she sometimes had. Coming to think about it, they had only really started after meeting Sasuke. Had they been some kind of message from her subconscious, warning her that this thing was actually going to happen at some point?

Sasuke had always held himself back, after all. She had put everything she had into going against him, into training with, and into trying to befriend him. But Sasuke? He had always been aloof, detached. Naruto had thought that was just the kind of person he was, but maybe there was something else involved. Like he had been pretending, forcing himself when in reality he had hated her the whole time.

Naruto screwed up her face, refusing to cry. There had to be something else going on, and she was going to figure it out. She hadn't realized it till now, but something was wrong with Sasuke.

"_You cant save me, Naruto."_

The young blonde forced herself to grin. _Challenge accepted._

_._

Sasuke was eating by himself in the apartment kitchen. Naruto knew that he would eat without him if he didn't come home in time, so Sasuke didn't feel even the slightest shred of guilt for finishing up the last of the onigiri.

Whatever. These had tomatoes, so he would've eaten them all even if the idiot had shown up.

As he cleaned up, Sasuke mused on where Naruto was at the moment. Not that he cared, really, if he was eating with his team, or spending the night at a friend's house. Even if Naruto had gone off without telling him.

Sasuke meandered around the kitchen, at a loss for what to do. Normally at this point, he would go out with Naruto to go grocery shopping, or sometimes they'd hit the hot springs together. And if neither of those, then some night-oriented training. Where was Naruto?

When Naruto was there, it had been too noisy to think about all his problems, but in the still silence that now engulfed the Uzumaki home, all of the dark things that Sasuke had started to forget about were slowly creeping their way into his subconscious.

Sasuke had sat himself down at the kitchen table again, this time his head buried into his hands. Why had Naruto (the older Naruto, not shrimp Naruto) shown up today? More importantly, how? Was there another way out of this alternate version of his past? Then again, it was possible that the Eye was messing with him, that this was just another 'test' he'd be subjected to.

And then there was that dress problem.

* * *

**Heh heh. I'd like to send a biiiiiiiig thank you to everyone who had reviewed. Even if it takes me awhile to reply, I will try my best! Also, a shout out to the people who've added my story to their communities, I really appreciate it! Finally, this chapter isn't as big as I would've liked, but I'm getting there.**


End file.
